Page 38 of Moving to Love
Joci met his gaze in the bathroom mirror as she dusted blush on her cheeks. “What time do you want me to be ready?”
He pulled his hair back into a ponytail and tied it with a rubber band. “What time do you want to go? Did you want to go out to eat first?”
“I can make something here if you’d like. Or maybe my place. I feel like I haven’t been there in weeks. I probably have food going bad in the refrigerator.”
Jeremiah chuckled and turned to lean against the counter. “Wow, you make that sound great. I’ll have a helping of bad food, please.”
She laughed. “Not what I meant. I just meant you’re going to have to let me go home eventually. I played hooky with you yesterday. I have to go to work and clean my house. Let me make you supper there.”
He frowned a bit. “I like you here. I don’t want you getting used to being without me. Move in with me, Joci.”
She packed her blush brush into her little makeup case and turned to face him.
“I can’t, Jeremiah. It’s too soon. I need office space to work. I have a house…full of stuff. What would I do with all of it? Where would I work?”
Jeremiah walked to her, looking into her eyes. “Those are simply excuses. You know all of that can be worked out.”
He ran the backs of his fingers over her cheek. “I want you here. I want to wake up with you every day. I want to go to sleep with you every night. I want to see you in my space—our space—every time I look around. Will you think about it, please?”
He leaned down and kissed her tenderly.
She tucked her hands in his back pockets and gazed up at him. “Yes, I’ll think about it.”
Jeremiah nodded slightly. “Maybe one of the boys will want to live in your place rather than pay rent somewhere else.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “It’s a thought. It’s also a big step.”
She turned to pack up her toiletries and zipped the top closed.
Jeremiah crossed his massive arms over his broad chest. “Are you more comfortable making something for dinner at your place, Joci?”
She tucked her makeup bag under her arm and turned to face him.
“It’s not about comfort. I feel oddly comfortable here with you.” Joci took a deep breath. “It’s scary, Jeremiah…I’ve never lived with a man before, except my son, and he doesn’t count. I’m his mom. If it doesn’t work out, then I have to find another place to live. And I work from home most of the time. My work would be disrupted, too.”
She looked down at the counter. Her heart beat like it was trying to burst out of her body. She opened and closed her fists to relieve the building tension.
“Joci?” Jeremiah’s voice was soft. “Look at me, baby.” He sighed.
She looked into his eyes. He reached over and slid his hand in her hair at the temple and pulled her close to him.
“I would like for us to build a relationship looking forward. When Jackie and David moved in with each other, don’t you think they had the same concerns? We’ll have disagreements over time, and we will need to work through them. I’m committed to that. Are you?”
Joci looked into his eyes. Those beautiful green eyes never wavered. She took a deep breath.
“Yes, I’m committed to making it work. I just worry about…everything. This is a big step.” Her voice was soft and shaky.
Jeremiah pulled her to his body and wrapped his arms around her. She breathed deep and inhaled his scent, strength, and comfort.
After a few moments, Joci looked up at him. “I’m sorry, Jeremiah.”
He shook his head. “No need, babe. I know it’s scary for you. For me, I’ve thought about you moving in with me for months. I’m excited as hell for you to be here with me.”
She took a breath. “How about I make us supper here tonight, and then we can head to The Barn later?”
Jeremiah kissed her lightly. “That sounds amazing, Joci. Thank you.”
They walked together to the kitchen and made breakfast. Jeremiah had to go to the shop, and Joci had to go home and get some work done today. She would run through her cupboards and see what she had to bring here and stop at the store on her way back to Jeremiah’s if she needed anything else. She thought she could stay at Jeremiah’s the majority of the time and go home in the mornings to work. She wanted to try it that way for a while and see how that worked without making it a permanent move right away.
